Sterling vs Vienna? (Tysons Corner: low crime, neighborhoods, preschool)

[flowers2]

I need help distingishing between Sterling and Vienna for possible relocation. Things that are important to us are safety being #1, community feel, activities for children (toddlers/preschool age and up) and schools and location. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[Denton56]

Vienna, hands down. Great town, low crime, good schools, nice people. MUCH better commute to Tysons Corner and DC than Sterling. Traffic to Sterling is a nightmare. Sterling has nice parts but also not at all nice parts with high crime.

[normie]

Originally Posted by flowers2

I need help distingishing between Sterling and Vienna for possible relocation. Things that are important to us are safety being #1, community feel, activities for children (toddlers/preschool age and up) and schools and location. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Where is the job? Also, which part of Sterling are you talking about? Sterling is very different, depending on which parts you're in. If you're interested in Cascades, I would say that has more comunity feel and lower rime rate than Vienna. Sterling Park, however, would have less spirit and more crime than Vienna. The schools in Cascades and Vienna are excellent. Sterling Park, not as much.

Here are some photo tours to give you an idea of community feel, etc. I've ranked them in the order of communities I personally find appealling. YMMV.


Cascades, which is the northern section of Sterling
Vienna
Sterling Park

[flowers2]

Thanks, great advice. Are there a lot of young families in Vienna? Also, are there many SAHM or are most of them working moms?

[normie]

Originally Posted by flowers2

Thanks, great advice. Are there a lot of young families in Vienna? Also, are there many SAHM or are most of them working moms?

I'm not sure about Vienna but my guess would be you'd find plenty of young families and SAHMs there. There are definitely a lot of SAHMs in Cascades. Cascades is loaded with young families.

[JD984]

I think there's a bigger difference between the nice and not-so-nice parts of Sterling than there is between the nice and not-so-nice parts of Vienna, and that there is a bigger, not-so-nice part of Sterling. I wouldn't dare to jump into the debate about whether the nicer parts of Sterling, such as Cascades, have more of a "community feel" and/or lower crime rate than the nicer parts of Vienna. Not sure I'd come out alive.

I don't think you could go wrong in either area, so if you have a choice I'd focus on (1) what's best from a commuting perspective and (2) whether you think you'd prefer an area that has a more manicured, country-club feel (Cascades) or a place that is more congested with a town at its center (Vienna). There's not a "right" answer here, except for you.

There are definitely lots of SAHMs and young families in Vienna, too.

[normie]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I think there's a bigger difference between the nice and not-so-nice parts of Sterling than there is between the nice and not-so-nice parts of Vienna, and that there is a bigger, not-so-nice part of Sterling.

True, but that's simply because the word "Sterling" was assigned to way too large an area, and Vienna, being a town, takes up a much smaller area. Sterling Park is a completely separate community that's 7 miles down the road from Cascades. You can spend your whole life in Sterling and never go to Sterling Park (if that's what you wish).

[normie]

Originally Posted by JEB77

I don't think you could go wrong in either area, so if you have a choice I'd focus on (1) what's best from a commuting perspective and (2) whether you think you'd prefer an area that has a more manicured, country-club feel (Cascades) or a place that is more congested with a town at its center (Vienna). There's not a "right" answer here, except for you.

There are definitely lots of SAHMs and young families in Vienna, too.

Nicely said. I totally agree.

[JD984]

Originally Posted by normie

True, but that's simply because the word "Sterling" was assigned to way too large an area, and Vienna, being a town, takes up a much smaller area. Sterling Park is a completely separate community that's 7 miles down the road from Cascades. You can spend your whole life in Sterling and never go to Sterling Park (if that's what you wish).

Not sure I agree with the first sentence. "Vienna" also includes many neighborhoods well outside the Town of Vienna, in the 22180, 22181 and 22182 zip codes. It just happens to be the case that almost all of the county neighborhoods with Vienna addresses are very nice, and not subject to the negative comments that are sometimes made about parts of Sterling Park.

But, again, from the time I've spent in the Cascades/Potomac Falls/Lowes Island areas, they seem very nice to me.

[normie]

Originally Posted by JEB77

Not sure I agree with the first sentence. "Vienna" also includes many neighborhoods well outside the Town of Vienna, in the 22180, 22181 and 22182 zip codes. It just happens to be the case that almost all of the county neighborhoods with Vienna addresses are very nice, and not subject to the negative comments that are sometimes made about parts of Sterling Park.

But, again, from the time I've spent in the Cascades area, it seems very nice to me.

My point is it's not fair to the OP to gauge Cascades by Sterling Park, which is a separate community that's miles away (or by the area near Dulles Airport, which is also considered Sterling). Those communities have almost nothing to do with each other, they just share a name. The OP wants to know the difference between Vienna and Sterling, and that's one of the important differences. Each section of Sterling is nice in its own way, and Sterling Park has a lot going for it--but they're different communities that are a significant distance apart from each other.